Casual Restos: Masala Cuisine: Indian fare with an alternative edge

Sarah Musgrave, Gazette Casual-Dining Critic08.20.2012

Masala Cuisine’s owner Ilyas Mirza, front, and chef Adnan Chughtai offer their take on Indian cooking at the restaurant’s new location in Point St. Charles. Their repertoire is designed to be approachable for anyone intimidated by Indian cuisine’s hot-and-spicy reputation.

Masala Cuisine isn’t a typical Indian restaurant. In fact, it may be better known as a cooking school. Catering to the Old Montreal midday crowd, it operated for a time out of a loft on Place D’Youville. Then it moved to a very large space, with seating for more than 100, at the edge of Griffintown. Then, with that building destined for condos, it relocated to cozy quarters in Point St. Charles a few months ago. What has remained consistent over the years is that it tends to be off the beaten path, both in terms of location and approach.

As more offices and condos crop up in the surrounding neighbourhood, Centre St. is in the midst of change. This particular strip now has several relatively new restaurant options in a row; and with Mexican, Indian and Portuguese (soon to open) on a single block, it seems there’s some synergy supporting a dining scene. Masala has an inviting red-and-white storefront, while inside the exposed wooden beams, leather couch, crimson paint and large open kitchen give it a homey feel.

During the day, the focus is on serving lunch to the local office crowd. An evening meal is even more like dinner at someone’s house. That someone is Ilyas Mirza. Originally from Lahore, he’s been sharing his take on Pakistani and Indian cooking in this city for almost 20 years. His repertoire may be familiar, but his method of preparation tends toward the healthy, favouring lightening dishes up and making them less saucy than what’s often available in town. So the food at Masala, like its setting, has a personal edge — approachable for anyone who is intimidated by the cuisine’s hot-and-spicy reputation.

The menu is short and simple, hitting the main marks, from beef bhuna to shrimp masala, marinated overnight with spices and fried with tomato paste. We had two of the three appetizers, passing on the pappadum crackers. A shared order of dhal soup, which kindly came divided into two bowls, was full of the soft flavours of roasted spices and earthy lentils. Masala’s veggie samosas, filled with peas and potatoes, were smaller and denser compared to the usual large, crusty packages bulging with ingredients. They came with yogurt raita and hot and sweet chili sauce for dipping (although they’re unfortunately and unnecessarily presented in disposable plastic containers).

Offered in full or reduced portions, the main courses are where Masala’s particular approach is more evident. Butter chicken, for instance, doesn’t feature the thick, creamy, sweet, tomato-tinged sauce that’s common in town. Instead, chunks of white meat are thinly coated in a yogurt and cream sauce, with a lovely bitterness coming from a generous amount of wilted methi leaves (better known here as fenugreek). Another highlight was palak paneer, a forest-green concoction of cooked-down spinach interspersed with patches of cheese. While the paneer wasn’t homemade, the overall effect was one of freshness, with a wonderfully fluffy consistency.

Lamb korma brought chunks of meat in a non-cloying yogurt sauce with an appealing sourness. Sometimes I like the surplus of sauce, but on this hot night, with fans whirring at top speed in the room, I was happy to be eating in a place that eased up on the richness.

Sides got extra attention. The basmati rice was fragrant with black cumin, star anise, green cardamom and cinnamon. I also really liked a hearty dhal, cooked over low heat so that the pulses became almost puffy and finished with ginger and garlic. The nan bread itself was unimpressive, but did get a stamp of its own with a sprinkling of chilies and spices.

There is only one dessert, and it’s a fun departure from the usual gulab jamun. Masala’s chocolate cardamom cake is dense and moist, and the spice hovers after each bite.

There’s nothing complicated about Masala. With its low-key attitude, it’s simply a pleasant place for a meal, with a personable style of service and gentle personality in the style of food. I wouldn’t go quite as far as calling it an anti-restaurant, but it’s certainly an alternative restaurant among the city’s Indian addresses.

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